Essentials of Global Health is a comprehensive introduction to global health. It is meant to introduce you to this topic in well-structured, clear and easy to understand ways. Much of the course will focus on five questions: What do people get sick, disabled and die from; Why do they suffer from these conditions? Which people are most affected? Why should we care about such concerns? What can be done to address key health issues, hopefully at least cost, as fast as possible, and in sustainable ways? The course will be global in coverage but with a focus on low- and middle-income countries, the health of the poor, and health disparities. Particular attention will be paid throughout the course to health systems issues, the linkages between health and development, and health matters related to global interdependence. The course will cover key concepts and frameworks but be practical in orientation.
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Course Learning Objectives
By the end of the course, learners should be able to:
• Articulate key public health concepts related to global health;
• Analyze the key issues in global health from a number of perspectives;
• Discuss with confidence the burden of disease in various regions of the world; how it varies by sex, age, and location; key risk factors for this burden; and how the disease burden can be addressed in cost-effective ways;
• Assess key health disparities, especially as they relate to the health of low-income and marginalized people in low- and middle-income countries;
• Outline the key actors and organizations in global health and the manner in which they cooperate to address critical global health concerns;
• Review key global health challenges that are likely to arise in the coming decades.
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Value Added of the Course
The course seeks to add special value by being comprehensive, by handling each topic in a consistent framework, and by helping learners gain an understanding of well grounded approaches to assessing global health issues and what can be done to address them.
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The Readings and other materials for Essentials of Global Health
For almost every session of Essentials of Global Health, you will see:
- Required readings
- Recommended readings
- Recommended videos
We have selected a small number of readings for each session that are central to understanding the content of the session. We have put these under “required readings”.
For each required reading, we have also indicated how carefully you should read the material and on what parts of the material you should focus your attention.
In addition, we have selected some additional readings that would be very helpful to your understanding the content of each session.
The first is a textbook, Global Health 101, third edition. This is a comprehensive introductory textbook that closely follows the content of this Essentials of Global Health course. We have indicated for each session what part of the book you should read. Using this textbook can be very valuable to your mastering the content of the course.
The second set of “recommended readings” is some additional readings, mostly from journal articles and reports. For these, too, we have indicated how carefully you should read the material and on what parts of the material you should focus your attention.
Learners should note that to access articles from The Lancet they will have to register with the Lancet, if they do not have online access to a library that has The Lancet. Once they are registered, they will be able to sign into The Lancet and access all of its free articles.
We have also indicated for most sessions one or two videos that relate to the topic of the session. These are meant to help the learner get a better feel for the topic which is being covered. Most learners will find the videos brief, easy and enjoyable to watch, and very enlightening.

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Module 2: The Burden of Disease

Module 2 focuses on the “burden of disease”. It first examines the state of the world’s health. It then introduces you to key demographic factors and how they relate to global health. It concludes with several sessions that examine what people get sick, disabled and die from and to what risk factors and determinants these conditions can be attributed.